In the courtyard, everyone is afraid of the little boy who is so smart!

It’s not good to let others know about this. If Zhao Shuzhuo follows me into the mountains, what if he sees some strange behavior of mine?

It would be troublesome if I had to explain it to him at that time.

So Wang Jianguo considered his words and said to Zhao Shuzhuo:

"Brother Zhao, you should go to the supply and marketing cooperative to help them. It's very troublesome for Uncle Cheng and I to select wood. We are just going to survey the situation this afternoon."

"Let's see where the wood is suitable. If we wait until the time comes to actually mine the wood, we will definitely have to call a few more people to help."

After hearing what Wang Jianguo said, Zhao Shuzhuo thought it made sense and followed his advice.

The three of them then quickened their eating pace and finished their meal in no time.

He Yushui began to prepare the paste for pasting the wall with swift hands and feet. She first found a pot and washed it carefully.

Then, according to my own experience, I mixed the appropriate amount of flour and water, added firewood under the stove, and simmered it slowly.

The paste in the pot gradually became thick as it was simmered over low heat, giving off a faint floury aroma.

Zhao Shuzhuo sorted out the pile of newspapers on the ground, tied them up lightly with a rope, and held them in his arms.

After everything was ready, He Yushui carried the cooked paste and Zhao Shuzhuo held the newspaper, and the two of them walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative together.

On this side, Wang Jianguo was waiting patiently for Cheng Si's arrival at home.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. Wang Jianguo was thinking about going into the mountains while looking towards the door from time to time.

After a while, I heard a voice coming from outside the door:

"Is anyone there? Is the captain home? I'm looking for Comrade Jianguo."

As soon as Wang Jianguo heard it, he knew it was Cheng Si's voice and hurried out the door.

I saw Cheng Si standing at the door, wearing an old cloth shirt that had been washed to a pale color, a pair of cloth shoes covered in mud, and a simple smile on his face.

Wang Jianguo said to Cheng Si enthusiastically:

"Uncle Cheng, Brother Zhao has gone to the supply and marketing cooperative, so I'm waiting for you at home. Let's set off for the mountains now."

After saying that, Wang Jianguo turned around, locked the door, and headed towards the mountains with Cheng Si.

Along the way, Wang Jianguo felt a little bored and wanted to find something to talk about. He looked at Cheng Si beside him and asked:

"Uncle Cheng, how far is our village from the nearest mountain?"

When Cheng Si heard Wang Jianguo's question, he raised his head slightly and looked into the distance, as if he was recalling or calculating the distance, and then he slowly answered:

"The nearest mountain is about five or six miles away. It's called Geda Mountain. This mountain is a little special. It's both small and big."

Wang Jianguo was puzzled when he heard this. How could there be a mountain that is both big and small? This sounds very contradictory. So he couldn't help asking:

"Why is it so big and so small? What's the reason, Uncle Cheng?"

Cheng Si heard Wang Jianguo's doubts, he slowed down his pace, and patiently explained to Wang Jianguo:

"This Geda Mountain is really not very high in terms of height. When you stand at the foot of the mountain, you can see the top of the mountain just by looking up."

"It feels like you can reach the end in no time, so it's small. But the mountain is also very big, why do I say that?"

"This mountain is very deep. Even in our village, no one has ever walked the entire mountain."

Wang Jianguo became even more curious after hearing Cheng Si's explanation, and he asked again:

"Really? Is this mountain really that big? It can't be that we haven't explored it all."

After hearing what Wang Jianguo said, Cheng Si sighed softly and continued:

"You're right. If it's just because the mountain is so large, it wouldn't be impossible to explore it all. The biggest reason is that there are large beasts in this mountain."

"In the early years, people in our village would go hunting in the mountains or collect ginseng to make a living."

"But there were many wild beasts in the mountains at that time. Many people encountered wild beasts in the mountains and never came back. They all died because of them."

"Since then, everyone has been scared and no one dares to go deep into the mountains."

Cheng Si's stories about the ferocious beasts in the mountains really make people's hair stand on end.

He described how ferocious the beasts were and how they were lurking in the mountains and forests, ready to attack anyone who entered the mountains at any time.

Those thrilling scenes seemed to be right before my eyes.

However, Wang Jianguo was secretly delighted when he heard these words. In his opinion, this mountain forest was a treasure land.

In the mountains and forests, there are wild beasts living, and all kinds of plants grow lushly.

These plants and beasts have long been nourished by the essence of the heaven, earth, sun and moon, and the spiritual energy contained in them must be extremely rich. Isn't this exactly what I urgently need now?

In this way, the two walked and chatted along the way. Cheng Si told Wang Jianguo some past events in the village.

Wang Jianguo also asked some questions about the village and the mountain from time to time. Time passed quietly during their conversation, and before they knew it, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Jianguo stopped and looked up at the mountain. It was just as Cheng Si had said before.

The mountain didn't look very high. He roughly estimated that it was about three hundred meters high.

The jungle on the mountain is very dense, and the layers of branches and leaves are like a green ocean.

A breeze blew by, and the leaves rustled, as if whispering something. From time to time, you can hear the crisp chirping of birds coming from deep in the forest.

The sound echoed in the silent mountains and forests, adding an atmosphere of tranquility and mystery.

Under Cheng Si's guidance, the two came to a place at the foot of the mountain, where a small path had been trampled out underground.

Although the path was not wide, it was clearly visible that people often walked along it. So the two of them walked slowly along the path into the mountains.

Not long after walking, Cheng Si stopped, turned around, and said to Wang Jianguo with a serious expression:

"Comrade Jianguo, I think we should use it right here. Look, most of the trees here are already mature, so they should be suitable for us to use as shelves."

"I'll take a closer look at the trees first. You can walk around here and take a look."

"But you must remember not to go too far, and never go deep into the forest. It's too dangerous there."